Monthly Archives: June 2023

Beer Can Chicken

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Don’t drink all the beer, save one can for the chicken. When a friend bragged that the best chicken she ever cooked was “Beer Can Chicken,” I was a little sceptical. She seemed just a little too enthusiastic. The concept is simple enough. Season a chicken with lots of Cajun spices, impale the whole chicken on a partially filled can of beer and roast it in the oven. Actually, successfully roasting a chicken is not always easy to accomplish. The goal is tender and juicy meat, yet cooked thoughout. It is so easy to overcook the chicken and end up with dry, tough pieces. How did my friend’s recipe turn out? My taste-tester husband devoured this chicken before I had a chance to snap all my photos. It was a success; and I now strongly recommend this novel method of roasting a chicken, too.

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Easy Cook: Cornmeal Marmalade Muffins with Glaze

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Here’s another old-fashioned Southern recipe, “Cornmeal Marmalade Muffins.” Sometimes “easy is better” and this recipe fits into that category. A friend gave me a jar of homemade satsuma (orange) marmalade for Christmas and this is the perfect recipe for using some of the marmalade. The muffins are a quick “one bowl” recipe — it takes less than 5 minutes to mix and pop the muffins into the oven. The flavor “punch” comes from both orange marmalade and cornmeal which are mixed into the batter. These muffins don’t have added sugar (other than the marmalade); they are not too sweet — that’s a good thing! If you pefer, add a powdered sugar icing for a sweet twist when serving. These very tasty cornmeal muffins are great for breakfast, brunch or just a snack.

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Sautéed Patty Pan Squash

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Here is a very easy recipe using the interesting space-ship looking patty pan squash. These squash are from my garden last year and I’m planning ahead this summer with recipes for using more of these squash. The scalloped-edge squash are mild-flavored, somewhat firm and work well in so many recipes. An easy way to prepare them is simply to sauté the squash in a little butter/olive oil combination and seasonings. What a great way to add vegetables a person’s meals! If you have never purchased patty pan squash, I do hope you take a chance, and try out this recipe.

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How to Make Hazel’s Dill Pickle Spears plus a Refrigerator Version

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My husband loves “Mustard Seed Pickles” which his mother canned and preserved when he was growing up. The pickles were loaded with mustard seeds. As a boy, he would reach into the refrigerator for a pickle and lick the mustard seeds off with his tongue. Now his mother is 96-years-old. She still managed to locate the handwritten recipe. Unfortunately, I couldn’t decipher her instructions. Although I’ve tried countless times, I just can’t seem to make his mother’s mustard pickle recipe likes he remembers. Instead, I’m using a similar recipe from my own mother for “Dill Pickle Spears.” And this recipe is great; I have made it countless times!  Today my daughter and I had a “pickling party” preparing the traditional dill pickles which are heat processed so they can be preserved and stored at room temperature for months. We also made a refrigerator version for folks who are a little sceptical of home canning. Both recipes make small batches of pickles — it is easier for a home cook to handle.

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